Fight For Your Mind
by Queen of Crystallopia
Summary: Submission for YJ fanfic contest put on by ARL15 and Black Friar. The mission was a trap. The team is caught. Their enemy is after one thing-the information inside Robin's mind that could take down the entire Justice League
1. Chapter 1

**This was my submission for the young justice fanfiction competition put on by Black Friar and ARL15. I was inspired by all the different Robin stories here on , so this is my finished product. Hope you enjoy!**

Fight for Your Mind

It had been a trap. A carefully laid, well planned trap.

After all, it had been good enough that it tricked Batman and the Justice League into sending the Young Justice team straight into it.

Robin had to give it to them. Not many could fool Batman into anything, especially when it involved the teen heroes. The thought wasn't comforting.

He was bound to a chair, his arms stretched painfully behind his back where his wrists were bound up to his elbows in sharp wire, and his ankles were each tied to the legs of the chair. Robin again had to curse the obvious preparation and intelligence of these guys. Not only had they taken his utility belt, no easy feat, but they had removed his gloves, boots, even his cape. Clearly they weren't taking chances.

Robin's head throbbed from the blow that had knocked him unconscious, and he thought worriedly about his team. He had tried to reach out to them mentally as soon as he was conscious but it was completely silent.

He'd been awake for about ten minutes and had yet to see any sign of his captors. Robin had wriggled, writhed, and tested at his bindings, but without any of his equipment, he was well and truly caught; the wire was too sharp, too tight, and already he could feel his arms start to become slick with blood from his thrashing.

The door clicked, and Robin tensed; his eyes narrowed and began to assess as three men entered the room. Two of them were clearly guards. They were large, burly, and armed to the teeth with menacing expressions. The third man, Robin quickly decided, had to be former military of some kind based on his stance and build, He was older, in his late fifties maybe, but was clearly in great physical shape and held himself with deadly confidence. Robin thought through the hundreds of files he had memorized from the bat computer, but couldn't place him. Either this guy was new to the game, or had a lot of experience staying in the shadows.

"You know, it's rude to just barge in without knocking," Robin broke the silence.

"Good, you're awake. We can begin," the man's voice was deep, and he drew up a chair to sit in front of Robin. The guards stayed against the wall, their expressions unchanging.

"Where's my team?" Robin demanded.

"Otherwise occupied," the man waved a hand, clearly unconcerned. "I wouldn't worry about them."

Robin didn't like the way the man placed emphasis on _them_. "You went through a lot of trouble to get us here. What is it you want?"

The leader leaned forward in his seat, close enough that Robin could smell his cologne. "You're going to tell us everything you know, child; all the details of the Justice League, their hideouts, codes, profiles, and identities."

Robin smirked. "A kid in a costume who knows all the details and secrets of the Justice League, that's quite a big assumption to make, you know. So what's it going to be? Are you and tweedle dee and dum over there going to play good cop, bad cop? Or is it to be torture?"

The man's face remained unchanging, but his eyes suddenly glowed white, and when he spoke, his lips didn't move. _Not quite, boy wonder._

Robin's eyes widened. Crap. A telepath. His brain scrambled to think of all the mental defenses J'onn and M'gann had taught him to ward off intruders.

 _Cute. Those tricks won't help you, I'm afraid. Don't make this harder for yourself, boy. I will tear apart your mind and get the answers I need if you try and fight me._

Robin's heart pounded, his stomach tightened in fear, but he glared at the telepath as hard as he could and said aloud, "Do your worst."

The man gave him a grim smile and lifted his hands to grab the sides of Robin's head. _Very well._

Robin shut his eyes, throwing up every barrier and wall he could, and then the telepath ripped into his mind.


	2. Chapter 2

_Mn_

 _M'gn_

 _M'gann_

 _"M'gann!"_

M'gann's eyes flew open with a gasp. Pain, there was so much pain! Her body felt weak, feverish, and it was all she could do to turn her head to the side. A few feet away from her lay Aqualad, who looked as bad as she felt. Around them was a wall of fire; the smoke was so thick she could see nothing of the room that lay beyond.

"M'gann," Kaldur's voice was soft and strained. Sweat dripped off of his skin, and M'gann noticed that his water bearers were gone. "Are you hurt?"

"No," she rasped, her throat dry and burning. "J-just the fire."

"Can you reach the rest of the team?" he asked, his eyes boring into hers.

"I-I can try," M'gann turned her head to face the ceiling and closed her eyes. She tried to slow her breathing, to take in a deep breath, but the heat from the flames choked the air from her lungs. Come on, Megan, focus! She threw out her senses, searching with her mind for the others.

Her reach was weak, and she struggled to hold on. Her mind brushed against Kaldur's, then strained to move past the flames. M'gann's breathing began to quicken, and she clenched her fists. There! Her mind moved through the fire, despite her instincts telling her to flee, and found Kid Flash and Superboy bound, silver collars tight around their necks. Artemis was unconscious, her wrists and ankles tied with some kind of wire.

M'gann jerked back to herself with a pained gasp. She clutched her head weakly, then turned to look at Kaldur. "Artemis is down. Superboy and Kid Flash are awake but they're trapped and have some kind of inhibitor collars on. No sign of Robin."

Kaldur looked grim. "I suspected as such."

"It was a trap, a-all of it. I can't believe I didn't see this coming. Hello, Megan!" she grimaced.

"It was a trap," Kaldur agreed. "But not for all of us."

M'gann's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Before I went down, I saw men take Robin away. Their leader spoke of breaking him. Whoever planned this set this trap well. Not only did they know exactly how to take us down, but they know the secrets Robin holds in his mind," Kaldur's eyes were tense and worried.

"You mean they're going to torture him?" M'gann gasped. "Kaldur, we have to d-do something. We have to get out of here before they hurt him."

"And before he tells them everything. Not only does he hold the identities and details of himself and Batman, but he helped build the Justice League database and security measures. If they break him…" Kaldur trailed off grimly.

"Everything will be lost," M'gann finished in a whisper.


	3. Chapter 3

"I have a mission for you," Batman and Black Canary stood before the team at Mount Justice.

Wally shifted his feet excitedly, unable to hold still. "Finally! I mean, uh, ready when you are, sir," Wally trailed off nervously as Batman turned a stern look his direction.

"This mission is just for Robin," Batman turned towards his protégé.

"Me?" Robin blinked in surprise as Wally groaned in disappointment and Kaldur and Artemis exchanged puzzled glances. "What about the rest of the team?"

"They will be training with Black Canary," Batman replied.

"Then why gather us here? Why not tell me back at the cave?" Robin's mind raced, confused by this turn of events. He had never been given a solo mission before. Occasionally they split up on missions or during patrol, but this was unheard of.

"Your mission will not require you to leave the mountain," Batman turned and pulled up a series of holographic screens. "Someone is trying to hack into the Justice League database as we speak. Security measures are starting to fall through. The intruder must not be allowed to get that information. We need you to get in the system, fight him off, and download all the information from the database to the hard drive here in the mountain."

"What?!" Robin gasped. "How is that possible? Those defenses should be impenetrable! No one but us should be able to get in."

"We're looking into it, but we need you to get in there now, Robin. Before it's too late," Batman answered urgently.

Robin stepped up to the screens, watching as data flew across the holographic images. Batman was right, someone was trying to get into the database, and they were succeeding. He raised his hands to the keyboard, ready to show this hacker who he was dealing with, when Batman laid a hand on his shoulder, his grip almost painful.

"Do not fail, Robin," he said, his voice deep and gravelly.

Something flickered in Robin's mind, some kind of wrongness. The discomfort shuddered down his spine like a snake and settled uneasily in his stomach. Shadows flickered in a flash across his vision, and he hesitated, his hands falling to his sides.

Batman's grip on his shoulders tightened even more, and the bones creaked painfully. "What are you waiting for? Get in there, now!" he ordered.

This wasn't right. He wasn't in the mountain with Batman and the team. There was no other hacker. An image of a man with white hair and stone cold eyes flashed in his mind's eye.

Robin's eyes narrowed. In a swift movement, he shoved his elbow into his mentor's jaw, knocking the man backwards. Robin twisted in the air and delivered a harsh kick to Batman's gut, sending him flying.

"Nice try," Robin smirked. "You almost had me there for a second."

Batman got to his feet with a furious snarl that looked wrong on his mentor's face. "I keep offering you the easy way out, boy. If you want to do it the hard way, so be it."

Mount Justice disappeared in a flash of violent shadows, and Robin was falling, falling, unable to see, unable to reach out and grab anything to stop his descent.


	4. Chapter 4

M'gann groaned in pain and frustration. Try as she might, she could not establish the mental link in her teammates' minds. The fire had weakened her too much, and she had used up all of her energy. She turned a desperate look to Kaldur, who obviously fought to stay conscious.

"What do we do?" she whispered fearfully. "Kaldur, how do we get out of this?"

Kaldur's lips parted, and he began to speak, but a whisper of something cold brushed against M'gann's mind, and she flinched, no longer listening to her weakened friend. Something was terribly wrong. She thought she could hear something, something faint, but it wasn't with her ears.

Once again she gathered what strength she had left and flung her mind past the flames, through the door of the large chamber, and down the hall. The feeling of wrongness increased. It was cold here, almost icy, and she shivered violently. The door at the end of the hallway was dark, and the blackness seemed to pulse. It was alive, and it was full of dark intent. She drew back fearfully, but a familiar cry of pain made her step forward.

M'gann steeled herself and opened the door. A huge man made of swirling shadows towered over a fallen Robin. The creature radiated violence and pain; it raised a hand towards Robin, who cried out as shadows engulfed him.

"No!" M'gann jerked back to herself.

"What is it?" Kaldur demanded urgently. "What's wrong?"

M'gann's chest heaved as she turned to her friend. "Their leader, he's a telepath, a powerful one. He's in Robin's mind right now. Robin's fighting back as much as he can, but it's only a matter of time. I could help him, but the fire-I'm too weak."

Kaldur's eyes had widened at her admission, then narrowed in determination. "Then there's no time to lose. Robin needs us."


	5. Chapter 5

Robin tried to get to his feet, but the most he could do was get to his hands and knees. The pain was excruciating. A huge weight bore down against him, forcing him to back to the ground.

 _I tried to warn you, but you had to fight it._

A loud crack, and then fire streaked across his back. Robin bit his lip to keep from shouting as the agony continued. Crack! Crack! Crack! The whip was relentless, and the weight kept him pressed down and unable to fight back.

 _Tell me what I need to know._

"I won't," Robin grit his teeth. Crack! Crack!

Blood spilled down his chin as his teeth broke through the skin of his bottom lip.

 _Who is Batman?_

"Go to hell."

Crack! Crack! Crack!

 _What are the access codes to the Justice League Headquarters?_

"Screw you."

Crack! Crack!

Robin lost the battle and finally cried aloud at the horrible pain. His back was ravaged with welts and cuts from the whip, his ribs were busted from being beaten with what had felt like a crowbar, and his arms, legs, and chest were littered with cuts and gashes from a blade. His responses had lost their creativity once the whip had started.

Everything hurt, and he felt so weak. He wasn't sure how much more he could take.

 _Yes, it hurts, doesn't it? And to think, this is all happening inside your head. I don't need to hurt you physically Robin. I tell your brain you're dying, and your body will follow._

"Are you going to torture me or are you just going to keep talking about it?" Robin spat.

Crack! Crack! Crack!


	6. Chapter 6

_Artemis, can you hear me?_

 _Artemis wake up! Please, I don't know how much longer I can do this._

 _ARTEMIS!_

Artemis woke, and immediately forced herself to relax and feign unconsciousness. She assessed her status. She was on the ground, her wrists and ankles bound. It was hot; she could feel and hear the flickering of flame nearby.

 _Artemis, can you hear me?_

 _M'gann!_ _Are you alright?_ She called back worriedly. _What about the others?_

 _There's no time. I can't hold the link for much longer. Aqualad and I are trapped, and Kid Flash and Superboy have inhibitor collars on. This was a trap for Robin, Artemis. They have a telepath and they are torturing his mind to get information about the league. We have to get out of here and help him!_ M'gann's voice weakened by the second.

 _God_ , Artemis was stricken. _What's the plan? What do we do?_

 _The rest of us are stuck. You have to find a way out of your bindings and take down the meta controlling the fire. You have to-_

 _M'gann? M'gann!_ Artemis cursed. The mental link was gone. She was on her own. Artemis took a deep breath and tried not to panic. _Get traught_ , she told herself. _Robin needs you_. Their attackers had taken her bow and quiver, but had they found-

There! Artemis fought to hide her smile. A small knife still lay against her hip, they had missed it.

 _Hang on, Robin_ , she thought. _I'm coming!_


	7. Chapter 7

_I have to admit, you're stronger than I thought. Most people would have broken already. Impressive._

"I'm not most people," Robin growled, spitting a wad of pink spit from his mouth. The weight against his back was gone, and the whip had stopped. Shadows and silhouettes flickered around him, as if a crowd had gathered to watch him break. He couldn't make out their faces, but the sight of their forms unnerved him deeply. He grit his teeth and began to crawl forward weakly.

 _There's nowhere you can hide, boy. Even now, the last of your barriers are falling, and your memories will be mine._

As if to reinforce his words, sounds began filtering through the darkness, the faceless shadows began shifting and calling out; carnival music began to play softly as hundreds of people began screaming. There were two loud, wet, broken crashes and then it was silent. Crazed, dark laughter echoed somewhere to his right, and just behind him gunshots cracked.

Breathing was getting difficult, but Robin steeled himself against the pain and kept crawling. He had to get away from his memories.

 _Quit resisting. You are mine._

A mass of pure darkness lay in front of him, but somehow, it didn't frighten him. This darkness was different. It was justice, it was night, it was safety, it was home. Robin knew he could hide there and be protected if he could just reach it.

Something icy and strong wrapped around his ankle and began pulling him back.

"No! Let me go!" Robin yelled as his hands fought to find a grip on the slippery ground. Farther and farther he was dragged away from that darkness, which he could almost swear was shaped like a bat. The faceless crowd closed in on him, their dark hands grabbing, pulling, _hurting._

 _It's time to let go, Robin. You've failed. Tell me your secrets. Tell me everything._


	8. Chapter 8

Artemis had opened her eyes enough to assess the room. There were two doors, two exits in and out of the large room. Kid Flash and Superboy were tied up to one of the beams supporting the ceiling, both wearing large silver collars around their necks like M'gann had told her. A massive cage of fire lay right behind her, where M'gann and Kaldur were both trapped.

There were five guards, which from the previous fight she knew were experience fighters, not the typical goons. The fire wielding meta stood close to the fiery cage, and she looked like she was concentrating heavily on keeping the flames contained. Good, Artemis smiled to herself. That's going to be the key to getting out of here.

She spotted her bow and arrows in a forgotten heap close to Superboy, along with Aqualad's water bearers and Robins gear.

Ok, distraction time.

Artemis groaned theatrically and rolled onto her back, ignoring the pain in her shoulders and arms as her weight pressed down against them.

"Artemis!" Kid Flash called.

"Shut up!" one of the guards by the door growled.

Artemis blinked and looked around blearily. She stopped when her gaze fell on Kid Flash. "What happened?"

"What do you think?" growled Superboy, glaring at his captors like he wanted to tear them apart. "We got captured."

"Of course we did," Artemis groaned again. Then she glared at Kid Flash. "Nice going, Kid Idiot!"

Kid Flash's eyes bugged and his face flushed with indignation just as she predicted it would. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Why don't you tell me?" she sneered. "Things were going just fine until you got thrown across the room, and I had to stop to try and save your sorry butt."

"Are you saying this is my fault?!" Kid Flash pulled against his bonds.

Artemis slipped the blade into her fingers and began cutting against her bonds, knowing the guards attention were on their fight, and the movement was disguised.

"Hey, I said shut up!" the same guard growled, his grip on his gun tightening. Artemis moved faster.

"Of course it's your fault!" Artemis growled herself. "We wouldn't be in this mess if it wasn't for you tripping up as per usual."

Kid Flash looked ready to explode. He started ranting, his face bright red and furious, and Artemis felt the bonds on her wrist finally snap. The guard seemed to have had enough, and stormed over to Kid Flash, yelling at him to shut up or else.

Artemis locked gazes with Superboy, who had been watching her intently during the argument. Her eyes flicked to her bow and arrows, which by some miracle, were in reach of Superboy's foot. Artemis's heart pounded. She would have to be fast. Really, _really_ fast. Or this would end in total disaster.

The guard switched his grip on his weapon, raising it to smash in Kid Flash's face.

"Hey!" Artemis shouted, and he turned to look straight at her.

Superboy moved, hooking his foot through her bow and the strap of her quiver, and flung them towards her. Artemis summersaulted to her knees, catching her bow and readying an arrow from her quiver in one fluid motion. Her ankles were still tied tightly, but she turned to face the meta and fired her arrow.

The blunt arrow caught the meta in the forehead, slamming her head back into the wall and knocking her unconscious. Immediately the flames went out, and all hell broke loose.

Artemis's body twisted into a handspring as the gunfire started, and dodged behind one of the supporting pillars. She fired two arrows consecutively and encased the gun wielding guards in red foam.

Her next aim was not for the rest of the guards, who were shouting furiously and rushing towards her, but at Superboy. She let the arrow fly, hoping it would work, and watched as the arrow embedded itself in his inhibitor collar. Electricity sparked from the metal, and it clicked open and fell to the ground with a clunk.

The guards hesitated, turning to look at Superboy, who gave a wild grin as he ripped the ropes from around him and charged with a bellow.

Artemis used his distraction to free her ankles, then darted to where Aqualad's water bearers lay, firing arrows towards the fight to help Superboy as she did so.

"Um, hello? Still stuck here!" Kid Flash wriggled in his binds with a pointed glare.

"Keep your shirt on, Bay Watch, I'm coming," Artemis tossed the water bearers towards Aqualad before pulling out her blade to cut his ropes. Then he was free, but gunfire made them both drop to the ground.

"Can you get this collar off me?" Kid Flash pointed at the metal encircling his neck. "Kind of a sitting duck here!"

Artemis pulled another electrically charged arrow from her quiver and stabbed it into the collar, ignoring Kid Flash's frantic "Careful!"

The collar dropped, and Kid Flash cracked his neck. "Finally! So, all that before, that was just a distraction, right? You don't really think this is my fault, do you?"

"Wally! In the middle of a fight here!" Artemis ducked away from the gunfire and shot two more arrows towards the gunmen.

"Right! On it!" he sped away.

In minutes, the three heroes had incapacitated the guards. Aqualad approached them, Miss Martian leaning heavily against him.

"More guards will be on their way. Robin is in trouble, and we need to go after him. Superboy, stay here and protect Miss Martian at all costs. She will begin to engage the telepath. The rest of you, come with me," Kaldur took out his water bearers, his tattoos glowing, and his eyes determined. "It is time to save our friend."


	9. Chapter 9

Shadows were moving everywhere. Faceless creatures pulled at him, tossing him around like a ship in a storm. He couldn't tell what was up, what was down. Every shove ignited the agony in his wounds, and he fought to find something stable to hold onto.

From somewhere in the crowd, he heard a deep voice rumbling, growling, threatening. Instead of scaring him, it sent a wave of relief through him. Robin pushed back against the cold bodies around him, trying to reach that voice. He'd be safe there, he just knew it.

The shadows didn't hold him back. In fact, as soon as he started fighting to reach the voice, they became still, compliant, stepping aside whenever he moved.

The voice was closer. He was almost there. Robin breathed out heavily as one of the shadows stepped forward, its form massive and towering, with distinct pointed ears and a flowing cape. God, he'd never been more relieved to see that. He stumbled for it, reaching with his hands.

The figure reached back, and Robin could suddenly make out the words the voice was saying.

"You hacked into the League's security again."

Then, startlingly, a voice that sounded just like his own.

"I couldn't help it. And you're welcome by the way, for pointing out the glaring errors in your system. Better me than some super villain, right?"

"Let's go."

"Wait, what? You're not going to yell at me? Where are we going?"

"You have work to do to rebuild the system you broke."

Crap. Crap! This was wrong! This wasn't safe, this was a memory! Robin stumbled back, and instead of pulling him, the crowd behind him began to push him forward, towards the large figure's open arms.

No! Not this! He had to get away, he couldn't let the memory resurface or everything would be lost. It would be the beginning into a descent through all the secrets he held.

 _Yes, let go. You've lost, child._

 _NO!_ Robin grit his teeth, anger surging through him. He stopped fighting against the shadows pushing against his back. He began to run forward, each step sending him barreling towards the pointed eared figure. Their voices grew louder, and Robin began to see flashes of color and light; computer screens.

Robin pushed his battered body forward, tackling the shadow of his mentor with as much force as he could muster. The shadow shattered instantly, broken pieces of black glass scattering into the air. The voices silenced, the memory hidden.

The silence lasted a second before a roar of rage and frustration threatened to burst his eardrums. Darkness swept over him, and suddenly there were two huge hands seizing the sides of his head in a painful grip. The pressure increased rapidly as Robin fought to pull away. The weight was everywhere, it was crushing him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think! Fire shot through his mind, searing him and burning him with its intensity.

 _Stop! Make it stop! Please!_ It was too much. It was going to destroy him, rip him apart and burn the pieces.

Robin screamed.

"Let him go, you _monster_!"

The pressure stopped, the fire quenched, and Robin collapsed as the weight was flung off of him. He struggled to breathe, to even move, but the pain was too great.

 _You think you can best me, martian? I've been training since I was a child. You cannot defeat me. My mind is stronger than yours._

" _No_ ," her voice was intense in its savagery. " _It's not."_

Light broke through the darkness, the ground rocked and shook violently, and it was all Robin could do to hold on. He clutched at his head, his teeth clenched tightly at the agony ripping through him. Away, he had to get away! This was a trick, another memory to be exposed.

Inch by inch, Robin dragged himself away from the torrential battle behind him. The silent darkness loomed before him, but it was different. It was like before, warmth and safety. He thought he could see stars. Without looking back, Robin flung himself into the night.


	10. Chapter 10

"Oh my god! Rob!"

A flash of wind, hands ghosting over him.

"Rob? Dude, can you hear me? Talk to me, man!"

"He's unconscious, Kid. Artemis, can you untie him?"

A sharp intake of breath. "Those animals! They used razor wire to tie him up."

Pressure suddenly released; his arms flopped uselessly to his sides, and he tipped forward.

"Whoa! Hang in there, buddy."

Gentle hands caught him. There was movement at his ankles, and suddenly he was being lifted up by strong arms.

"That's a lot of blood," the voice was grim.

"His nose is bleeding! That's a bad sign, isn't it?! Is he going to be okay?"

"Calm down. It's likely a side effect from the mind attack. Let's get him back to the bioship."

He smelled sweat and salt as the one holding him began moving swiftly, but gently. The voices faded, but the gentle movement followed him back into the darkness.


	11. Chapter 11

"Tell me everything."

"It was a telepath, a very powerful one that I've never encountered before. After they caught us, they took Robin away. Later, we realized that Robin wasn't being tortured, at least not physically. The telepath wanted everything Robin knew about the League; he knew Robin had many secrets buried in his mind. I…I got there as soon as I could, but not before the damage was done."

"How bad is it, J'onn?"

"I won't lie to you, Batman. The boy's mind is ravaged. When he resisted, the telepath used all of his abilities to tear Robin's mind apart for the answers he sought. The damage is extensive, but together, M'gann and I should be able to heal his mind. It will take some time."

"Why won't he wake up?"

"He's hiding. I think he kept trying to when the telepath was…was torturing him, but it wasn't until I entered his mindscape to help that he could escape into the far corners of his mind where he couldn't be touched. Once Uncle J'onn and I heal the damage, he should come out."

"Should?"

"There's no way to know for certain, Batman. We do know, however, that Robin revealed nothing. His mind is surprisingly strong for someone so young and without any powers. Even with the little training I was able to impart on him, he shouldn't have been able to stand against a telepath like that for as long as he did. You should be proud."

"…I am. Bring him back, J'onn."


	12. Chapter 12

It was time to come out of the darkness. That's what the voices told him, the ones that were gentle, soft, and warm. But he couldn't know that it wasn't another trick. No, it was better to stay here in the dark. Here he wouldn't be hurt, or broken. There weren't any memories here, no secrets to give away, nothing. Besides, here, he could see the stars.

He tried to ignore the coaxing voices, the gentle touches, but they were persistent. However, when he pulled away from them, they let him go, gave him space, let him sink numbly into the darkness for a while until later, when they tried again.

 _It's over, Robin_ , they said. _It's safe to come out, now. You're safe._

But how could he know for sure?

So he stayed in the night, knowing here he wouldn't slip and hurt anyone.

 _Robin._

He tensed. That voice- it was different, it was trusted above all others. But he'd been tricked by it before. It was probably another shade, ready to pull him from the safe darkness and into his traitorous memories.

 _Robin._

No. Leave me alone. I won't help you. I won't tell you anything.

 _Dick._

He froze. Wait. Wait a moment. How could it know his name, his real name? That was a secret, wasn't it? Had he failed? Had he given everything away while he hid in the darkness?

 _Dick, come on, chum. It's time to wake up. It's time to come home._

Could it be? Was it real? Was he _safe_?

 _Yes, Dick, you're safe. I've got you. You did well, but now it's time to wake up. I need you to wake up._

A figure stood at the edge of the darkness, silhouetted by the light of the stars. But there was no cape, no cowl. The stars glowed brighter, reflecting off of icy blue eyes and an outstretched hand.

 _Come home, son._

He took the offered hand, and then he was flying.


	13. Chapter 13

He woke up, and immediately wished he hadn't. His mind felt horribly scraped and raw. Even though his eyes were still closed, the light in the room burned through his eyelids, stabbing into his brain. Everything hurt. Could hair hurt? Yes, he decided, yes it could.

"Dick?" the voice was incredibly soft, as if he knew the slightest sound caused him pain.

"Brss?" he whispered back, his throat dry and hoarse.

There was a sigh of relief, then the sound of footsteps heading away from him. Dick let out a sigh of relief as there was a click and the lights went out. He took a few deep breaths before he dared to open his eyes.

Through the darkness, he made out Batman's silhouette sitting beside his bed.

"Better?" Bruce asked.

Dick began to nod, then stopped with a groan of pain.

"Try not to move," Bruce ordered too late. "Your mind and body need to recover from the attack."

"Mm…over? …e's gone?" Dick whispered blearily.

"Yes," Bruce answered. "Your team recovered from the initial attack and was able to escape. Before you try and ask, they're all fine. The telepath who…interrogated you has been apprehended, along with the other men who were with him."

Dick's heart began to pound, and his breathing quickened. "Did-did I tell him anything?"

"No. You did incredibly well, Dick. He got nothing from you."

Dick's breath released in a relieved sigh. Then he frowned. Bruce's voice had sounded…off.

"What's wrong?" Dick could see the dark circles under his mentor's eyes even in the dark room.

"This shouldn't have happened," Bruce finally admitted after a moment of silence. His face, though he tried to hide it, was anguished. "So many things could have been prevented. All the signs that this mission was a trap were there, and I failed to see them."

"Neither did we," Dick argued softly. "But it's over with, and we're ok. Well, relatively ok. And like you said, he didn't get anything from me. I kept all of the secrets."

"You shouldn't have had to. He would have broken you, destroyed your mind until there was nothing left, just to get information on the League. On me."

Bruce ran a hand over his face, looking far older than he was. "I should have been there."

Dick placed a hand on his mentor's, despite the pain that pulsed in his head from the movement. He thought of the warm, safe darkness that had been his refuge, of the stars that had watched over him, of the night that protected him.

"You were, Bruce. You were."


End file.
